I Write A Bit Of Horror Too

Yes, it's true, I write the occasional horror story. Actually, I've written quite a few of them. I don't always play that up, because I've been writing a lot of historical fiction in the last year, and people who like those kind of stories don't always enjoy a good scary yarn. In fact, I've had readers of my "Rose Of Skibbereen" series say things like, "Why would you want to write about monsters and ghosts? I would never read anything like that."
So, I don't talk much about my efforts in the Stephen King realm. I guess it's a dirty little secret that I keep to myself. However, I am proud of those stories, and I think they're darned good ones. I developed a skill at writing short, edgy stories that can get a reader's heart racing. They're not very bloody or full of graphic details, and I'd say they're more concerned with psychological horror than anything else. After all, a good scare may start in the stomach, but it's magnified by the mind into something truly overwhelming.
So, if you think there's value in a good toe-curling scare once in awhile, something that will make you think twice about going down into a dark basement, check out my series of horror shorts. They're available on Smashwords here. You can also find them on Amazon, of course.
I also write humorous stories, by the way, but that's for another post.

Don't Have An E-Reader? You Can Still Read My Books!

I meet lots of people who've never read an ebook. Some of them tell me proudly that, "I'll never read a book that way. I'm a traditionalist. I like to hold a book in my hand and turn the pages." I understand that sentiment, but it's a bit like someone in ancient Greece or Rome saying, "I'll never read one of those newfangled scrolls. Give me an oral storyteller any day. Scrolls are cold and impersonal."
You can't stop the march of technology, and people have been inventing new ways to transfer information for a long time now. I can understand the reluctance to try something new, though. I've been a book reader since I was six years old, and it's always been one of the chief pleasures of life for me to curl up with a book. I wasn't sure I'd like e-readers myself, but I quickly learned that they have a lot of advantages. They can hold shelves and shelves of books in a wafer thin package, they allow you to adjust the font sizes and styles to make it easy on your eyes, and the price of ebooks is a lot cheaper than print books. I'm not ever going to give up my cherished books, but I'm happy to do a lot of my reading on my Kindle these days.
If you still haven't read an ebook, I have a proposition for you. Why not read one on your computer? All you need to do is go to a site like Smashwords, where you can purchase ebooks and download them to your computer. As long as you have some type of computer (laptop, desktop, etc.) you can read ebooks. On Smashwords, you just go to the information page for the ebook, scroll down to "Download the full versions of this book" then click on "read online" and you'll be all set. You'll be able to download the ebook and read it. It's so easy, and if you buy an e-reader at some future point you can transfer the book to it in a flash.
Of course, if you do try this method, I recommend that the first ebook you read on your computer is one of mine. I have quite a selection on Smashwords, in many styles and genres, including humor, romance, poetry, and horror.
I think you'll definitely enjoy it.
And who knows, you may like the experience so much you decide to buy an e-reader!

My Adventure In Storytelling

I got into fiction writing because I like to tell stories. I used to love to listen to my parents and other adults tell stories when I was a child, and I will still drop everything to listen to a good story. I recently joined a group called Talk/Story at the Bucks County Playhouse, in New Hope PA, and it's all about storytelling. There are eight of us in the group, led by author and theater director Hester Kamin, and we meet each week to develop stories. These are stories from real life, although there are some embellishments (what good story doesn't have embellishments?). It's been a creative adventure for me to work on my stories and trade ideas with a group of very interesting people. We're having a performance of our stories on Monday, April 28, 8 PM at the Bucks County Playhouse. Here's a video about what we do.

Book Four Is Published

Book Four of "Rose Of Skibbereen" is published! This one took me longer to write, and maybe that's why it has more words than the other three books in the series. The extra words are not because the book covers a longer time period -- in fact, it only covers about 15 years in the 1960s and 70s.
Then again, there was a lot crowded into those years, as anyone knows who lived through them. The 1960s were revolutionary in many ways, and there were major changes in the way we lived and loved and thought about things during that time. That's really why I needed more words to tell the story -- the characters had a lot crammed into those years.
The main character of this book is Rosie Morley, the granddaughter of the original Rose of Skibbereen. Rosie is impulsive, tough, a gifted singer, egotistical, and a dreamer. Her passion and enthusiasm get her into trouble sometimes, and she hurts those around her, although it's usually not intentional.
Other characters who pop in and out of the story are: Pete, Rosie's son; Lucy, Rosie's mother; and Mercy Francis, who is actually Rosie's long-lost stepsister, who comes to Philadelphia on a reluctant quest to find old black and white film of her father, the scoundrel James Francis.
I have lived with this story for months now, and if I don't stop myself I'll babble on forever and give the whole plot away. I think it's a great addition to the "Rose Of Skibbereen" series, and it was fun to write, since I lived through the 1960s and this book brought a lot of memories back.
See for yourself, though. I hope you download the book, which is available on Amazon and Smashwords. And by all means, send me feedback about it! I want to know if you liked it or didn't, and which parts you liked or hated the most. Your comments will make my next book better.
One last thing: for people who don't have an e-reader, you can still read my book on your computer. Just go to Smashwords and you can download a version that you'll be able to read on whatever computer you use.
Oh, one final thing: "Rosie 1" was the cover that won in the voting, so that's what I used.

You Can Pick My Next Cover!

I'm almost ready to publish Book Four in my "Rose Of Skibbereen" series, but I'm stuck on one last thing: deciding on a cover. I commissioned two covers, and I can't decide which one I like better. So, I figured I'd let my readers weigh in on this issue. I'm going to post both covers and let you tell me which one you like best. I set up a poll (in the column to the right) to collect your votes, and the one that gets the most votes will be the cover of my newest ebook.
Some background information: one of the main characters in Book Four is Rosie Morley, the granddaughter of Rose Sullivan Morley, the woman who came from Skibbereen to Philadelphia back in 1880 and started this whole saga. Book Four begins in the early 1960s and Rosie is making a lot of poor decisions, as she is prone to doing, which cause no end of trouble for her and the people closest to her. Since she plays a major role in this book, I wanted her to be on the cover.
The problem is, I can't decide which of two pictures of the fictional Rosie I prefer. So, I'm asking for your help, readers. I would like to know which one you like the best. Let me know, and I will be happy to use the one that gets the most votes.
Here are the pictures. The first one is "Rosie 1".

The second one is "Rosie 2".

Let me know what you think! Thanks. The voting ends in three days.

Book Four Is Coming

We writers try our best to keep on schedule, but sometimes things take longer than we planned. I had thought I'd have Book Four of "Rose Of Skibbereen" published by now, but my revisions are going a bit slower than I anticipated. Don't worry, though -- I will have Book Four published in ten days, if not sooner.
Book Four starts in 1960, and as you might imagine, there's a lot that happens in that wild and crazy decade. I was around for those years, and it's been fun to write about an era that I actually lived through. Writing about the music, the politics, the conflict between old and young people that took place in that decade has brought back a lot of memories. The Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, rock n' roll, Carnaby Street fashion, and a parade of crazy characters -- they're all in this book. You'll get to meet them in a matter of weeks, so stay tuned for an announcement coming soon on this blog.
In the meantime, here's your hard-working author, slaving away at the novel.

St. Pat's Day Giveaway

I don't want to be one of those authors who's constantly running promotions to get people to buy his ebooks. I think it's important to market your writing, but you can't be running contests, raffles, and giveaways nonstop just to bump up your numbers on the best-seller lists. I've always believed that if you write a good book, readers will find you. Good writing will win people over more than a contest.
However. . . I decided that if I'm ever going to do a giveaway for my Rose Of Skibbereen ebooks, it should be tied in to St. Patrick's Day. After all, this series starts in Skibbereen, Ireland, and follows some Irish characters as they emigrate to America to find love, heartbreak, and personal drama. It revolves around the Irish people, and so I thought St. Patrick's Day, when everyone around the world celebrates the Irish, would be a good time to run a contest.
So, here it is. I'm giving away books One, Two, and Three of the series for free, and all you have to do to get a chance to win is enter on Facebook through this link. It's a simple contest, and I'll announce a winner after St. Patrick's Day. Best of luck to ye!